LOTUS EMEYA

Is this electric super-saloon the second coming of the Lotus Carlton?

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The Emeya is the fourth stage in the masterplan to transform the new, revitalised Lotus from beloved but niche sports car maker to global luxury car manufacturer.

The Emira sports car and Evija hypercar lend the brand credibility, reassuring everyone that the old Lotus hasn't left the building. The Eletre is to be the relative volume seller because, globally, big SUVs are what luxury car buyers want.

Exactly what the Emeya brings to the table is more of a head-scratcher. It appears that for all its bold reinvention plans, Lotus is still governed by a certain European car orthodoxy that dictates a sporting brand must have a super-saloon, even though that particular genre has become far less popular than it once was. For instance, Porsche sells only a fraction as many Panameras as it does Cayennes.

The Emeya, of course, is an EV, as most new Lotuses will be, which puts this saloon toe to toe with the Porsche Taycan. The Taycan itself is not quite flying out of showrooms the way Porsche might like it to and is already being markedly outsold by the Macan Electric.

It’s unlikely, then, that the Emeya will pull in the big volumes. Instead, it needs to prove to the world - and buyers unconvinced by SUVs - that Lotus can still make a serious fast saloon, regardless of whether it’s powered by petrol or electricity, or made in Hethel or Wuhan.

DESIGN & ENGINEERING

★★★★☆

PROS 800V architecture; usefully big battery; advanced chassis tech

CONS Big and heavy; ADAS protrusions

In very simple terms, the Emeya is the saloon version of the Eletre SUV that we have now known for a year or so. That means it uses the 800V architecture, takes a very large battery and is available with an armoury of dynamics-enhancing tech including air suspension and four-wheel steering.